Who Really Believes in Their Vehicles?

Pet Peeve!

How do you know if an automaker really believes in their vehicles?

When automakers Hyundai and Kia came on shore with their vehicles I realized that there is a sort of litmus test that possibly demonstrates which automakers really believe in the quality of their vehicles. Let's say that you formed a company to produce and sell vehicles here in the United States and let's assume that the vehicles are genuinely top quality. How would you convey that to the US car buyers? How did Hyundai and Kia do that?

Warranty! That right, they did it with the strongest warranty offered by any automaker.

So called "American" automakers spend millions on commercials that boast of all kinds of things to get you to buy their products. They say, "Ours is bigger, tougher, more reliable, better than the Camry, best in gas mileage" and on it goes. They want us to believe in them and their vehicles.

So here it is, my pet peeve - they want us to believe in them and in their vehicles, but they don't seem to believe in their vehicles! If they did, they would offer warranties that said so, that proudly said, "We believe in our vehicles and to prove it, we offer you the industry's best warranty - second to none."

My friends, if they did that, I would once again become a loyal "American-brand" customer.

The last "American-brand" vehicle that I purchased was a 2000 Chevy Camaro, which I purchased new. (Of course, the exception to this is my 1998 Chevy S10 that I converted to electric.) I liked the Camaro, but it wasn't without problems as soon as the 36,000 mile warranty was up. I then realized that I was now on my own to maintain this vehicle. Fortunately, I wasn't still making car payments. I called Chevrolet and told them exactly what I wrote above. It didn't change anything (of course). It seems that people are bedazzled by the slick advertising and buy the vehicle without considering the warranty.

But folks, we need to consider these warranties now more than ever before. Why? Because cars today are becoming more and more complex with all kinds of on-board computers, digital communication systems, crash avoidance systems, self-parking systems, tire pressure monitors, elaborate info-entertainment systems, etc., etc. etc. Also, most people still have at least 2 years of payments to make when the 36-months warranty is up. I can't imagine having to make car payments and expensive repairs at the same time.

We own a 2005 Kia Sedona. It's a very nice minivan and we love to take trips in it. Just before the 5-year, bumper-to-bumper, warranty was up, a computer module that controlled the air conditioning went bad. We took it in to the dealership and they fixed the problem promptly with no charge to us whatsoever - no charge for parts, labor or anything else. I wonder what that would have cost us with only a 3-year warranty. Other than this problem, we have had no others except to put a new set of tires on the vehicle.

Let's take a look together at the table below in which I have brought together the warranties offered by automakers of some of the most popular vehicles. It doesn't take long to notice which automakers really believe in their vehicles. Note that the best warranties are at the top of each vehicle category. Hyundai and Kia offer basic and powertrain warranties far superior to any other automaker. It's obvious that they believe in their vehicles. What are Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Honda, Toyota and others afraid of and what are they waiting for? If they aren't careful, buyers are going to wise up and look for better warranties elsewhere.

By the way - did you know that the Ford Fusion is assembled in Mexico and the Hyundai Sonata is assembled in the USA? Interesting!

Make & Model	MSRP Range	Warranty
Subcompacts
2012 Hyundai Accent	$12,500 to $15,800	Basic: 60 months, 60,000 miles Powertrain: 120 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Kia Rio5	$15,100 to $16,400	Basic: 60 months, 60,000 miles Powertrain: 120 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Chevy Aveo5	$12,100 to $15,400	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Honda Fit	$15,100 to $19,200	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles
2011 Ford Fiesta	$13,200 to $17,500	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles
2011 Toyota Yaris	$13,200 to $14,500	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles
2011 Smart Fortwo	$12,500 to $17,700	Basic: 24 months, 24,000 miles Powertrain: 24 months, 24,000 miles

Compacts
2011 Hyundai Elantra	$15,000 to $22,000	Basic: 60 months, 60,000 miles Powertrain: 120 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Kia Forte	$15,000 to $18,900	Basic: 60 months, 60,000 miles Powertrain: 120 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Chevy Cruz	$16,500 to $22,200	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Dodge Caliber	$17,400 to $20,600	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 100,000 miles
2012 Honda Civic	$15,600 to $23,900	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles
2012 Ford Focus	$16,500 to $22,700	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles
2011 Toyota Corolla	$15,900 to $18,600	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles

Mid-size
2011 Hyundai Sonata	$19,400 to $27,200	Basic: 60 months, 60,000 miles Powertrain: 120 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Kia Optima	$19,200 to $26,200	Basic: 60 months, 60,000 miles Powertrain: 120 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Chevy Malibu	$22,000 to $27,200	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Dodge Charger	$25,400 to $32,500	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 100,000 miles
2011 Honda Accord	$21,400 to $31,900	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles
2011 Ford Fusion	$19,900 to $29,000	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles
2011 Toyota Camry	$20,200 to $29,800	Basic: 36 months, 36,000 miles Powertrain: 60 months, 60,000 miles